FULLERTON

In 1988, Police Capt. Don Bankhead oversaw the conversion of the department’s closets and hallways into office space to accommodate his 200-person staff.

Today, about a dozen detectives are crammed into a windowless, 20,000-square-foot warehouse in neighboring Thompson’s Furniture store, a vacant building next to the police station that the city bought last year for $1 million. Another 220 officers are packed into police headquarters on West Commonwealth Avenue, Senior Officer Joe Caracci said.

City officials agree. By January, the warehouse may be razed to make room for a new wing of police headquarters to accommodate the growing staff. The vacant furniture store may be torn down and turned into a parking lot.

Architects are expected to present three design options for the warehouse and store to the City Council on Oct. 14.